Drunk Driver Kills Road Construction Worker On Jersey Shore Thoroughfare, Authorities Say

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man has been charged in a crash that killed a man who was working on a road construction crew on Route 9 in Toms River, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office confirmed Thursday night.

Douglas Smith, 51, has been charged with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving in the crash that happened about 1 a.m. Thursday near Raymond Avenue, the prosecutor's office said. Criminal charges may be forthcoming, authorities said.

Smith was driving north on Route 9 when he hit the victim, a 50-year-old Toms River man who was working on the construction project, the prosecutor's office said.

The man suffered serious injuries and was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Smith was showing signs of impairment and was taken to Community Medical Center, where a sample of his blood was drawn under a court-authorized warrant, the prosecutor's office said. The results of the draw are pending.

The prosecutor's office Major Crime Unit Vehicular Homicide Squad and Toms River police investigated.